Psychoanalysis in NORWAY summary

Kari Høydahl

DPPT

a jour 29.01.12

Historically Norwegian psychiatry and
psychology has had a strong psychodynamic orientation. Psychoanalysts have had
significant positions in health care, in psychiatric outpatient clinics and
hospitals. They have in many ways influenced the development of psychiatry and
clinical psychology. The academic psychology was also strongly influenced by
psychoanalytic thinking.

From the 1970s, public funding of
psychotherapy in Norway has increased. Today we have as far as we know the most
beneficial public financial system for patients seeking psychoanalysis or
long-term intensive psychotherapy in the world. The patients pay about 2000
Norwegian kroner (260 Euro) per year; the rest is funded under the health care
system, and frequency of hours and duration of treatment is not restricted by
the health authorities.

In the last 10-15 years, the
psychoanalytic/dynamically oriented treatment methods have been subjected to
criticism both from the academic community and from cognitive therapists.

In psychiatry (outpatient clinics and
departments), we have increasingly seen a trend towards a preference for
cognitive treatment. Health authorities also publish Treatment Manuals which
mainly recommend cognitive therapy as the first choice in the treatment of most
mental disorders. However, it is important to highlight that these manuals are
recommendations, not directives. Many of the psychologists and
psychiatrists in private practice with government contracts provide
psychoanalysis and psychoanalytically oriented treatment.

There are currently two universities in
Norway (Oslo and Bergen) that provide systematic training in
psychoanalytic/psychodynamic theory and method to psychology students.

Psychologists and psychiatrists can freely
choose a psychoanalytically oriented specialization. For doctors, it is also
obligatory to participate in courses and supervision of psychodynamic-oriented
content. In the labor market today the psychoanalytic specialization is not seen
as qualifying as earlier, because many psychiatric positions require knowledge
of focused and short-term treatment approaches such as cognitive
therapy/exposure techniques, etc.

The government has now - in fall 2011 -
initiated an evaluation of the system with financial support to the different
private educational institutes in Norway. Deloitte is conducting thissurvey. The institutes have been secured unaltered financial support for
2012, but what happens after that we simply do not know.